Local director John Barker and producers Ross Garland and Brad Logan have made a film about betrayal and greed with enigmatic characters, and an abundance of dark humour and charm. Garland answers some questions:

What is '31 Million Reasons' about?

It's a classic heist film set in Durban. Loosely based on the true events of one of South Africa's biggest heists, a couple of bent cops get together with some crooks and pull off an inside job.

How did you select your cast?

We had a list of favourites for the main roles and approached them directly - people like Jack Devnarain, Meren Reddy, Trevor Gumbi, Mary Makhatho, Neville Pillay.

I had also done a small film where I met some of the great Durban talent - Rahul Brijnath, Hamish Kyd and Afzal Khan.

What inspired the making of this film?

Naresh Veeran wrote a book of the same title, for which I decided to buy the rights. I had been wanting to make a film set in the Durban Indian world and was also interested in making a heist or action film.

How important was this movie for you as a producer?

It's the first genre film I've done. It was an eye-opener and a lot of fun.

Are you happy with how the film turned out?

[Director] John Barker made the sort of heist film any fan of these types of film will love.

What are you working on next?

I've just optioned the rights to Young Blood by Sifiso Mzobe, another story about criminals in Durban. as it happens. - Staff reporter

• '31 Million Reasons' opens at cinemas today